Fifth Water Hot Springs -- the best!!
- Girls Gone Adventuring
- Mar 4, 2018
- 4 min read
Another Adventure that Mother Nature had other plans for... The original plan was to head to Capital Reef for some canyoneering with our good friend Erin Grover, which we were super excited about! We got up early and started heading down but it was blizzarding pretty hard... again... and we had to change plans... again... Not sure why these big blizzards can't happen during the week instead of on the week-ends, but whadaya do??
Our Plan B ended up being an Adventure we'd been wanting to find time for this winter - Fifth Water Hot Springs up Spanish Fork Canyon. (click here for directions to the trailhead.) We've done these springs in the summer months, but have been wanting to try them in the winter with the beautiful snow-covered mountains and cold temperatures as a backdrop. So today was the day!
It was snowing pretty heavy when we got to where the gate was closed and we had to start walking. We changed into our swimsuits in the car (difficult, but do-able) and bundled right up! With the road closed, it added on an extra 2 1/2-3 miles of walking to get to the trailhead, then it's about 2 1/2 miles to the Hot Springs from there - making the total round-trip over 10-11 miles. But we're super-heros and we can do hard things! We were full of energy and super excited to be heading up - the snowfall made the scenery more magical and secluded and we were so happy to be out in nature, hiking and feeling alive!
The 3 miles to the Three Forks Trailhead parking lot were super easy, just a light dusting of snow on the road (WHY this road was closed is beyond us!?!?). The trailhead is just before another gate over the road -- which was OPEN, crazy enough... -- and across a bridge to the parking lot and bathrooms (which were unlocked and accessible, crazy enough...) The trail itself it not too steep or intense, it winds through the forest and follows the river most of the way. (Make sure you DON'T cross the first bridge you come to right past the trailhead entrance - go STRAIGHT, stay to the left. You'll cross a bridge later in the hike, but this one is not it...) The river was beautiful with icicles and chunks of snow covering the logs and branches that were partially submerged.
We saw one other group of hikers on their way down as we were heading up, then one other group that were at the lower springs when we were heading down. This IS a popular place for skinny-dipping, so be cautious if you're bringing children! Although we only saw 4 other people our entire time here, 1/4 of those were skinny-dipping ... yikes! (Don't know what he was thinking - it was freezing cold once you got out of the springs! Seems like there are better - and warmer - places to be skinny-dipping at this time of year!)
We didn't stop at the lower springs and went straight to the upper springs (keep going past the waterfall on the trail to the left - you'll go about another 1/4 to 1/2 mile and will run into the upper springs.) The temperature at these upper springs was PERFECTO!! It was probably around 102*, enough to feel amazing and keep you warm with the freezing outside temps, but not so hot that your skin burns when you first get in. We floated and relaxed and enjoyed every minute of the warm springs. This upper pool is deeper and the hot water bubbles in from a few spots at the bottom of the pool, which keeps the pool a nice even temperature. There's a rock ledge that's perfect for changing and storing your gear, it was absolutely PERFECTO!! It was so relaxing and serene to be soaking in the hot springs and admiring the beautiful forest around us.
Katy and Julena got dressed at the upper pools but I wanted to at least hit the lower pools and stand under the waterfall so I threw a towel over my swimsuit, put on my sandals, and ran (froze) the 1/2 mile back to the lower springs. It's a pretty cool experience to stand under a semi-warm waterfall in the middle of the forest in the middle of the winter, with a snow-covered landscape all around!
(Can you see me there by the falls?)
The hike back down was definitely colder, but I'd Highly Recommend making sure you change out of your swimsuit into dry clothes before making the trek. It's hard to make yourself do it - it's freezing cold, I know! But it's so worth it to be warm and dry as you're hiking the 5-6 miles back to your car.
Luckily we didn't run into any moose (click here to read our adventure in being charged by a family of moose) and we had a beautiful, fun-filled, Adventurous day at the Fifth Water Hot Springs. We highly recommend giving this hike a try in the winter, it's a very different experience than in the summer and one definitely worth it! Seriously one of our favorite Adventures we've done this winter -- we LOVED it!
Have you been to Fifth Water Hot Springs in the winter? Tell us about your experience in the comments :)
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HOW TO DO THIS YOURSELF:
1) Brace yourself for the cold and JUST DO IT! We didn't need snowshoes or spikes, we just went in our snowboots (Katy in her La Sportiva's) and we were good. Wear your swimsuit underneath, but pack dry unders for the hike back out. Bring a towel, some snacks, water, and sandals if you're planning to walk from one set of springs to the other. Don't forget a bag to put your wet clothes in!
2) There's no fee to enter the area so it's a completely free Adventure - gotta love it!
3) Timing: We left our car at 10:00 am, got to the Three Forks Trailhead around 11 and to the springs around noon. We were at the springs for about 2 hours and got back to our car around 4 pm so a total of 6 hours. You may spend more or less time at the springs, but use this as a guide to plan your timing for this Adventure :)
** Is there an Adventure you think we should discover? Comment below
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